The invention relates to the display of photographs on a television screen and especially to a video cassette recorder (VCR), such as for example VHS(copyright), enabling the display by means of a conventional commercial VCR of photographs recorded on a strip of film wound on a spool or reel such as for example photographs in APS(copyright) format.
The display of photographs on a television screen is known. To be able to display photographs on a television screen, up to now, has required the use of a specific device that transforms, by scanning the images, usually negatives, into an electrical signal that is sent to a television screen after having transformed the signal into a signal suitable for television. This practice is relatively cumbersome as the device has a significant size and many functions are required.
It has been noticed that many television users also have a VCR. In these conditions, the inventors decided to be able to benefit from the VCR controls to be able to reduce the cost and size of a film strip reader to be able to display photographs on a television screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,331, titled xe2x80x9cTape Casette Loading System Compatible With Two Different Sized Cassettes,xe2x80x9d by Hirayama et al., Jun. 18, 1991, describes a VCR that can receive two types of cassettes of different sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,400, titled xe2x80x9cMicrocassette To Standard Cassette Adapter,xe2x80x9d by Staub, Jan. 18, 1994, describes a magnetic tape adapter cassette enabling a smaller size magnetic tape cassette to be inserted in a larger size magnetic tape cassette. U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,853, titled xe2x80x9cManually Operated Video Cassette Adapter,xe2x80x9d by Tai, Dec. 24, 1996, describes a VHS(copyright) format adapter videocassette able to receive a smaller VHS-C(copyright) videocassette.
The invention offers to provide a small sized device, for example of the standard size of a VHS(copyright) cassette.
The invention further offers to provide a cheap device useable in commercial VCRs, for example VHS(copyright) type.
The device according to the invention can be inserted into a VCR and enable the display of images recorded on a strip of photographic film wound on a spool or reel. The device comprises: a) means to load a reel on which is wound a strip of photographic film having photographic images recorded thereon; b) transport means controlled by the operation of the VCR to unwind and rewind the strip of film wound on the reel and move this strip in an indexed way in relation to an analysis position; c) analysis means to provide a video signal of the image stored on the strip of film and located in front of the analysis position.
The invention further aims at a new type of VCR adapted to receiving a cassette provided with a recognition means and connection means. The VCR comprising: a) a detector of the recognition means carried by the cassette; and b) a connection means for, when the cassette is introduced into the VCR, linking up the connection means of the cassette and those of the VCR to direct the control signals of the VCR to the cassette, the cassette comprising: a) means to receive a reel on which is wound a strip of photographic film having photographic images recorded thereon; b) transport means controlled by the operation of the VCR to unwind and rewind the strip of film wound on the reel and move this strip in an indexed way in relation to an analysis position; c) analysis means to provide a video signal of the image stored on the strip of film and located in front of the analysis position.